WEST PLACER COUNTY – Residents in areas bordering West Placer County may notice low-flying aircraft on Thursday, June 26, and Friday, June 27, as officials conduct aerial treatments to control mosquito larvae. The operations are planned for agricultural areas, rice fields, and marshes.
The Placer Mosquito and Vector Control District will be applying an EPA-registered, biorational mosquito larvicide. This treatment targets immature mosquitoes in the water to prevent them from developing into biting adults capable of transmitting diseases.
According to officials, the treatments will take place during daylight hours, most likely from the early morning to early afternoon. These applications are restricted to rural, agricultural areas and are a standard procedure to manage mosquito populations, but there are situations where drift application (due to prevailing winds) could bring the application to the Sacramento County side of Baseline Road.
The larvicide is specifically designed to affect mosquito larvae and is considered a key component of an integrated pest management program.
This action in neighboring Placer County follows recent aerial spraying for adult mosquitoes by the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District in the Natomas area, which includes the 95673 zip code covering parts of Rio Linda. That treatment, which occurred on June 23, targeted adult mosquitoes already in flight due to an increase in their population and the presence of West Nile virus.
While the upcoming larvicide treatment is in Placer County, its proximity may be of interest to Rio Linda residents who live and work near the county line. The low-flying aircraft used for these applications can sometimes be visible from a distance.
